What led to standoff between Nihangs and Uttarakhand police?

The issue stems from an altercation in Chamoli’s Karnaprayag on June 16, when a group of Nihang Sikh pilgrims were accused of attacking residents with swords. An FIR was registered, and four were later arrested and sent to judicial custody. According to Chamoli police, a verbal scuffle reportedly broke out between some Nihang pilgrims returning from the Hemkund Sahib Yatra and local traders. The dispute escalated when four Nihang pilgrims allegedly attacked a local trader and other residents who intervened, using weapons. Four people were injured in the incident.

The FIR

The complaint, lodged by a local resident, said that at around 9 am on June 16, local businessman Prakash Rawat was crossing the road in front of his hotel when a motorcycle, carrying two men, was allegedly coming from the wrong side of the road and struck him. As per the FIR, “Following the collision, Rawat said, ‘Brother, please drive slowly.’ Hearing this, the two Sikh men (who were on the motorcycle), along with another motorcycle carrying two more Sikh men, began arguing with Rawat and abusing him.”

The complainant, along with at least seven other men, then confronted the four men. “The four Sikh men allegedly drew swords and struck all the men… The accused, while brandishing their swords and issuing threats, attempted to flee from the spot,” the complaint alleged. One of the Sikh men also sustained injuries during the incident.

Occupation of the gurdwara

The four were then arrested, and after they were sent to judicial custody, on June 20, a group of seven Nihang Sikhs allegedly stormed into a gurdwara in Rudraprayag and occupied the rooftop, refusing to come down and closing the door behind them.

According to police, around 3.40 pm on the day, the sewadars of the Nagarasu Gurdwara in Rudraprayag and a group of Nihang Sikhs had a scuffle, after which the group went on to occupy the rooftop. Allegations had also surfaced that the group took the manager of the gurdwara committee hostage. However, police denied this. The managing committee said that the group hurled abuses at them, and a man was injured during the altercation.

They allegedly vandalised the rooftop and pelted stones. The managing committee had also claimed that they sought support for the demand seeking the release of the four men arrested in Chamoli.

It took multiple groups, including a delegation from Punjab and Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh, to bring the group down on Tuesday. The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee also met with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, seeking an investigation into the Karnaprayag incident. The delegation had claimed that the action against them was one-sided and had stoked resentment among the Sikh community.

CM Dhami said that the matter had been assigned to Haridwar SSP Navneet Singh Bhullar for “fairness and impartiality”, and that the probe would be completed in 15 days.

March to Uttarakhand

While the group that occupied the gurdwara left the state after the end of that standoff, a Nihang jatha that left Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan in Mohali for the Uttarakhand capital arrived at Paonta Sahib Gurdwara on the Uttarakhand-Himachal border on Thursday evening. As they reached the border, the Uttarakhand Police intercepted and stopped them, using barricades. The group stormed the barricades, seeking entry into the state even as police struggled to rein them in.

High tension prevailed through the night and subsided only after the administration held talks with the group, urging them to return to Himachal Pradesh. The group insisted they would not return until the four Nihang members arrested in the Karnprayag incident were released. However, following assurances, they returned to Himachal Pradesh early Friday morning.

Meanwhile, Haridwar SSP Navneet Singh Bhullar arrived in the area to meet with faith leaders. Speaking with the media on Friday from Paonta Sahib in Sirmour, he said, “The ADM, Dehradun, has received a memorandum from the group. Police and administration officials sat with senior Nihangs and had a discussion, and I have assured them that there will be a fair probe.”

He said an SIT was formed in Haridwar. “Allegations of assault against police have surfaced, and they are being investigated. The administration and I remain in contact with the jatha,” he said.

Nihang leader Akali Jasdeep Singh said the administration has accepted their demands. “They have given us two days and said that they would take us to meet the arrested Sikhs. After we meet them and their family, we will discuss the necessary steps to take. We will not go back as of now. As soon as the Nihang Sikhs are released and brought to us, we will go with them to Uttarakhand and then return directly to Punjab,” he said.

Hemkund Sahib, one of the most prominent gurdwaras in the country, is situated in Chamoli at an altitude of 4,632 metres, and is visited by pilgrims every year. The pentagonal gurdwara, made of white marble, is devoted to the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, and gets a large number of visitors concurrently with the Char Dham Yatra. This year, since it opened on May 23, the gurdwara has recorded 1.46 lakh pilgrims. The 2025 season recorded 2.74 lakh devotees. The Nihangs are closely associated with Guru Gobind Singh and visit the pilgrimage centre in Uttarakhand in large numbers.